Lofton Appointed to Statewide Post for Cattle Cost Share Program

 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Dresden native Wendy Lofton has been named the state’s new Cattle Marketing Specialist.  The position is part of the Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s Tennessee Agricultural Enhancement Program (TAEP) cost share program for the state’s cattle producers.

 

“As coordinator for the TAEP Cattle Improvement Initiative, I’m involved with every aspect of the program, including the development of program guidelines, outreach to Tennessee cattle producers and application reviews and awards,” says Lofton.   “This means I can take the very latest program developments right to the producers when I participate in local ag organization events.  I’ll also be equipped to help producers feel comfortable with the process so they can add facilities, improve herd genetics and increase the marketability of their animals much more quickly they might have, otherwise.”

 

The Cattle Improvement Initiative is part of TAEP, a comprehensive agricultural development initiative established by Governor Phil Bredesen and supported by the Tennessee General Assembly with a $26 million state appropriation for the new fiscal year.  The focus of the cattle initiative is to improve cattle production and facilities and to expand animal health services by providing cost share funds to farmers for such advancements. 

 

Lofton is a recent graduate of the University of Tennessee at Martin with both a bachelor’s degree in agriculture and an MBA.

 

"I completed my master’s in business administration in December and began searching for a position that both challenged me and allowed me to reconnect with and be a proponent for the farm community,” says Lofton. 

 

“Farming is never an easy job, and it’s a job you can’t leave at the end of each day; it’s a total way of life that impacts every member of the family on a daily basis.  That means there’s more at stake on a family farm than most of the non-farm public might realize.

 

“When farms are lost, whole families and communities lose,” says the new program coordinator, “especially in places like Tennessee, where so much of our culture, values and quality of life are tied to the state’s agricultural heritage.  It’s not just farmers who benefit when we make sure we have plenty of successful farms nearby. We all need to know where our food is coming from and how it’s produced.  Plus, everybody who likes to live in or near a beautiful, pastoral area has an interest in keeping our rural communities thriving.”

 

“I’m not just a ‘people person,’” says Lofton; “I’m a farm people person.  I really can’t wait to get out across the state and help Tennessee’s cattle producers understand what a great opportunity they have through this program and what steps they need to take to participate.  I’m convinced this is a program that can help Tennessee cattle producers succeed—and when they succeed, we’re all better off.”

 

Contact Lofton at (615) 837-5309 or Wendy.Lofton@state.tn.us.  For more information about TAEP cost share programs, visit www.picktnproducts.org.

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A hi-res photograph of Lofton is available by CLICKING HERE.   

This and other news releases from the Tennessee Department of Agriculture can be found at http://tennessee.gov/agriculture/news/index.html

Market Development/Pick Tennessee Products news releases can also be found at http://picktnproducts.org/press/index.html